If you haven’t already heard, the bootloader for the Verizon edition of the Samsung Galaxy S III was recently unlocked by the modding community at the XDA-developer forums. Verizon was the only major carrier in the United States to impose a locked bootloader on the device. With the locked bootloader, you will not be able to join in on the Galaxy S III’s Jelly Bean/Cyanogenmod 10 fun.

Why doesn’t Verizon want you to be able to unlock your phone’s bootloader?

The tool released by AdamOutler offers what is almost a one-click bootloader unlock. But there’s a catch. The easy-to-use tool is only available for Mac and Linux. In the usual condescending geek talk, AdamOutler tells Windows users that while the tool may work in Windows, “please, windows users.. learn to use your computer before you ask questions on XDA-Developers. This is one-click on Linux and Mac every darn time.” While it may seem like it’s every time for the developers, a new root often the beginner’s first exposure to the confusing world of bootloaders, ROMs, and Android modding. Every enthusiast has to start somewhere.

At any rate, AdamOutler suggests using the Windows Ubuntu Installer if you need a build of Linux just to flash your phone’s bootloader. I’m a fan of Ubuntu, and the software’s designed to be intuitive for typical PC users.

Once you’re ready to run the Verizon GS3 Casual unlocker, just download the file and then select “root with DebugFSRoot” and then press “Do It.” Next select “Flash Unsecure Aboot” and press “Do It” again. At this point your phone should be compatible with Clockworkmod and Odin. You might be interesting in checking out the Cyanogenmod 10 version of Jelly Bean for the Samsung Galaxy S III. Just follow the instructions in this article using the Verizon CWM bootloader and the “VZW” version of the Cyanogenmod 10 ROM.

It’s not quite a one-click operation, but it’s close.

Keep in mind that Galaxy S III ROMs are carrier specific. If you don’t want to brick your device, make sure you use ROMs that have been labelled for “Verizon” or “VZW.”